-Break-
And just like that, I was left all alone. I had chosen to keep moving forward on my path, while those I was walking with had moved on with their lives. In some respects, I wanted to continue laughing and talking with the people I've met, including the first friend I ever made. But destiny will not reward me for stagnation; it will not grant the talented the strength to move forward, even when faced with these new challenges.
Location: ???
Feeling the harshness of the chair my body is on, the rigidness of the rope around my legs and arms, the pressure of the blindfold tied against my head, I feel like my heart will explode any second.
I don't know how long I've been in this room, or how long it will be till someone comes in here. The only way I have been keeping time is by the dropping of liquid from the roof to the ground.
Yet the repeating, endless sound of it makes my mind feel like it's about to rot away. It's such a simple trick, yet it is effective at breaking people down, like my mind is having a hole ripped open right in the centre of it, waiting for someone to look down.
But I expected this, I knew this was going to happen from my actions, so all I can do is keep moving forward, waiting however long till the time we meet face to face has come.
In that moment I start to recount the stories I have read, each little world, every single character, every single feeling I had when I read it all, and allow it to focus my mind, as seconds, minutes, and even hours pass keeping me stable throughout all the fear and pain flowing through my body, until I hear a door open and footsteps flowing through my mind.
Four people in total, and soon one of them walks to my side and grabs my head by my hair, pulling me back, then removes my blindfold, and there I see the same general who shot those arrows at me, yet he is dressed in casual robes this time.
I smile, and he, with a stale expression, says, "Don't waste my time by pretending to be mad. I know any man who would willingly rush onto a battlefield to pick a fight with us cannot lose their sanity after only such light torture."
What the hell was light about this?
He releases my head, and in front of me, I see a man wearing an orange and white guanfu, which only moves down towards his knees, black baggy pants, orange high-cuffed shoes, and most notably, across his face is a large amount of bandages covering him with only slight bits of his large red hair poking out.
The other two behind him wear normal robes associated with officials. Both of them quickly bring in a chair and place it in front of me, and soon, through the door, a man walks in, in a full black mianfu with golden and silver throughout it. The green and golden-haired man's presence strikes me, but more than that is the tiny blood red lotus mixed with jade that covers every part of his clothing with briareid vines connected to each other. They all look like they should trap him and freeze his movements, but he moves effortlessly with them all layered against his body as if they are trying not to hurt him in any way.
The young man, no older than 25 years old, takes a seat in front of me, and the power glare he has in his red eyes stares right down into the depths of my soul. His posture is divine, almost as if the way he sits makes me want to bow my head towards his body. This feeling is just as bad as the one I had when I met Siegrund and Jabari, no, it's worse. Unlike those who hide their power, this man exudes it with every single movement of his body.
In this moment, he leaves no room for me to even deceive myself that I am on the same level as him, and feeling it all, my heart pounds as a smile crawls up my face.
A slight twitch moves across his face, and the man to my side grabs me by the hair and pushes my head down, as he says, "Do you not understand who this is?"
The two officials behind him beat their hands against their chests like a giant gong is moving throughout the room, and say, "Let the rhythm and joy within our hearts celebrate the arrival of the 117th Emperor of Dá, Dá Wèilái the Master of the East!"
As my head lifts up, I give him a smile and say, "I am well aware of who you are."
In that instant, blood gushes forward from my right cheek, spurting everywhere, and pain soars through my body, but more than that is the confusion at what happened.
Who struck me? I didn't even feel it or sense any form of spirit energy. I've gotten used to being able to keep up with Jabari's strike, but that was beyond anything I've ever dealt with before. I couldn't even perceive what was happening to me, in any regard.
The man standing with the bandages against his face says, "Then your disrespect was no accident. Another incident and you will forfeit half the skin across your body."
What a gentle voice, in fact, it kind of makes me want to hear more threats from it. It is very soothing to the soul.
Through the bandages his eyes glare at me, and then I hear, "Captivant Nightfall, or better known Adrian Nightfall, son of the famous Nightfall family from Varage the agricultural nation, and one of the biggest exporters in the world, your family is the head of the union of farmer, a group of people who lived in the land after the Beastkin expunged all the humans who lived their. Eventually, they were returned by King Charles, causing some friction which only grew as the generations moved on.
From a young age, he struggled to make friends, but soon made one with a refugee by the name of Valda, yet she played what was called a cruel prank against him, embarrassing him and damaging his soul when it came to his interactions with other people. This led to him selling his inherited land for money towards the royals who fought against his father group's power constantly, and since then have made moves to try and enrapture them. Mainly using the specific suspicion that members of his father group have been aiding Blestemate.
Since then, you've become an adventurer who has travelled the Alchemist Country, on an expedition clearing out all the enemies he had in his way, and surprisingly managed to get the villages to be happy, greeting adventurers. Though this was done with a mix of truth and lies. Writing semi-fictional stories about your adventurers, often using language and different forms of media to deceive people that these were coming from officially recognised sources, when it was just things you propagated yourself."
Sweat bursts down my face as I hear the emperor himself recount my entire life. I don't think anyone I've met before would be able to say this much about me based on our experiences. I am not that important or famous a person, yet somehow he was able to find the little fragments of data left by my presence and piece them together.
"That is who you are, Adrian, and for that reason, I want to know why you'd circulate this."
As Wèilái finishes speaking, he throws a book in front of me, and there he says, "It's one of yours, published in a string of your other media. A book made for the sole purpose of pushing the idea to the common people and those in Ghost countries that we are not warmongers, and that I am some kind of righteous hero. In fact, you made me look rather sympathetic. But for what reason? You do not live in the land, and fear no consequences from the events that happen here; you have no loyalty to anyone here, and you're barely profiting from this while you waste the goodwill you had after your first expedition in this land. So why?"
I can tell that a single lie here would end with my head lobbing off, yet I don't know how much telling the truth would be believed. Still, I have no better bet than that.
"It's because I am enthralled by you! After the Tyrant Pendragon's invasion and domination of Enotita was ended by the Four Flames, the Guardians of the Lotus, who assisted the Four Flames to defeat the tyrant, gained even more strength than they already had. They were one of the oldest groups in the land as the ones who looked after the lotus, the oldest and holiest object in the entire country, yet they never held institutional power, and remained impartial no matter the reason, only interacting when people aimed to damage the lotus directly. But after the countries were left in ruin after the events of the Tyrant, they set up the current system that still persists till today, in which they act as the core of the country, and maintain balance throughout the land. It is said this period has been the most peaceful period in the entirety of the country with the exception of the first Dá Emperor's rule, and then a few centuries after the era of Levav ended.
For many, there are no issues with the Guardians, as their main goal is to minimise the negative impact the other countries in the continent and beyond have on each other. Yet one man wishes to disrupt that balance, Dá Wèilái. One of many children from bastard lineages, who, through revolution, took the land of Dá from the current lineage of lazy emperors, who then proceeded to take multiple military and economic actions against the Guardians. A man called both a tyrant and an idiot, earning you scorn from every corner of the land.
Yet I don't believe that for a second. You went on during your younger years to become an adventurer, and every single note, record, or word I have heard or read by someone who has met you only sang your praises. That you were a heroic, kind, strong man who was so wise that people thought you could see the future. That isn't what people say about a madman, so why are you doing this? For what reason could you do all of this?
It must be because you see something, something that normal eyes like mine could never hope to reach, something that I want to be a part of, to learn from, and to embed in myself so that one day I can craft a legend for my own. I didn't lie or embellish in any of those books I wrote, because I can guarantee you when your actions are viewed centuries from now, a man like you would be known as a hero beyond your years, and I am going to partake in that no matter what!"
I breathe in and out rapidly as my speech finishes, and, realising all I said, I lower my head, and say, "Well, if you want to let me? It's still your choice."
In that moment, laughter bursts out through the entire room from all five mouths, which causes me to raise my head where I see Wèilái laughing with the innocence of a child as all the tension wrapped around his body vanishes.
Staring at me with a face filled with joy and happiness, he says, "You're a real funny one. You actually planned all of this out just to see me and become mine. If so, then I'll respond to the courage and power within your soul. Captivant Nightfall, if you can keep up with the chaos I plan on sending this world into, keep up."